WORLD TOURISM DAY (SEPTEMBER-27)

WORLD TOURISM DAY (SEPTEMBER-27)

Even as the city observes World Tourism Day on September 27, tourism and allied infrastructure are in not-so-good shape in Ernakulam district. A case in point is the 3.50-acre Ernakulam Boat Jetty and its weed-infested premises, from where hundreds of domestic and foreign tourists and other passengers take ferries daily to reach the Fort Kochi and Mattancherry heritage zones. Though the Central PWD paved a good share of the pathway leading to the jetty building, it has not been linked with the entrance to the structure. Thus, people have to go through slush to gain access to it. The area plunges into darkness because of inadequate lighting. The agency abandoned the work since Kerala Tourism did not clear its dues.


A CPWD engineer said that Kerala Tourism owes Rs 31 lakh to the agency. A traveler from the U.K., Emily said that the premises should be maintained better by Kerala Tourism. The building and premises are in pathetic shape despite over 16,000 tourists and boat passengers using it daily, said the State Water Transport Department's (SWTD) station master A P Mani. “The premises and the unoccupied kiosks turn into a haven for anti-social elements and drug peddlers at night.”The high mast lights and other fittings in the premises would function only if Kerala Tourism hands over Rs 25 lakh to the KSEB to install a transformer. “This is apart from the dues that we owe the CPWD. We would prepare a revised estimate of the pending works,” said the Regional Joint Director of Kerala Tourism, Maria Lucy. The plight of most tourist locales in Fort Kochi, Mattancherry and the Goshree Islands is no better

                                                                   Prof. John Kurakar